Democrats react to President Obama's DNC speech

"Whenever he makes a LGBT reference, I get choked up," said Christopher Lines of Baltimore. "No other presidential candidate has done that. In '92 and '96, the candidates said to us 'quiet down, we'll get to you later.' But now, we're in the platform. Wow, that's huge."

John Brecher / NBC News

"I thought the speech was excellent," said Gwyneth Carpenter of Charlotte, North Carolina, who continued, "I have grandkids in California. My granddaughter tried out for the baseball team at her high school and because of budget cuts, they didn't have equipment. She had to bring her own mitt, bat and ball to try out. The schools are overcrowded, 20-some or 30 kids to a classroom." Accompanying a friend's son to a high school in Atlanta, she was saddened to see "a teacher run from one class to another because they were short a teacher that day." After those experiences, she was encouraged by Obama's statement that "no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school."

John Brecher / NBC News

"Fabulous," said Sally Meadows of Washington DC, about Obama's speech. "He answered questions that have been raised by people who are disappointed and who are on the other side." "I care a lot about the environment," Meadows said. She mentioned Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's RNC acceptance speech line: "President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family." Meadows said that Obama's mention of global warming is encouraging to her. "It's not a hoax. You can't be for families and the future if you don't acknowledge the potential devastation caused by global warming. It's like putting your head in the sand."

John Brecher / NBC News

President Obama's speech was "exactly what we needed to energize our base," said Edward C. "Ted" James, a state representative from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Part of his enjoyment stemmed from the diversity of people he sat next to during the speech: "To see so many Democrats who don't look like me: young, old, black, white, Asian, Hispanic. I sat next to a well-off woman from Raleigh, North Carolina, who would be in the position to pay more tax and was open to that. The energy and diversity in the arena all week is reflective of his [Obama's] support, what America really looks like."

John Brecher / NBC News

"I have epilepsy," said Heather Ross, a delegate from Austin, Texas. "If someone like me doesn't have medicine, they can die." She said Obama "talked about the stories that moved him to move forward with health care," noting that for her, health care reform removes the stress of acknowledging a pre-existing condition. "Before the health care reform there was a lot of exclusion for the people who need it most," but now they "can feel more comfortable talking about their disability. That makes them freer to be themselves. Freedom is what America's about."